Michigan lawmakers pass a slate of new bills

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> another rally about guns at the state capitol this week.

hundreds came.

detroiters are tons.

the governor.

we are don.

>> only offering thoughts and prayers.

it is time for action.

>> because it is not to.

[MUSIC] [MUSIC] >> a few here protesting the protesters and the keynote speaker.

former arizona congresswoman gabby giffords still recovering from a gunshot to the head in a mass shooting.

were six others were killed in twenty eleven?

i change doesn't happen overnight.

>> i can't do it alone.

join me.

lets move ahead together.

>> now, michigan gun laws really expected to change other last two spinning out of the whirlwind wednesday house session last week.

>> elliott larsen, right to work.

we'll talk about those.

but first, background checks for gun purchases.

simply put this bill is a slippery slope towards oppressive authoritative government or should i say even more oppressive authoritarian government?

>> this package will not take anything away from gun owners.

>> it will merely be an inconvenience to you.

>> the same way you inconvenience my curriculum so i can teach my kids survival required much like every parent who comes into my classroom.

hasta half.

>> to read to my students, state rep jamie churches.

he was a teacher downriver.

he introduced a gun bill that passed in a vote split along party lines.

the recent shootings at nearby michigan state university activating legislators for a lot of lawmakers.

it wasn't personal so many connections to msu.

here's zoey clarke, michigan radio's political, too.

that can be frustrating for some people that take something personal to get something done.

they have really moved gun safety legislation forward on the calendar.

>> the bill is passed.

what was the problem that the republicans had with that?

>> well, look, i mean, i don't want to just make it all about democrats versus republicans, but democrats want some gun safety legislation that they've been pushing for.

and republicans tend to be second amendment and they say it's not about gun safety legislation.

this is a mental health crisis and democrats, at least these bills have been pushed so far.

these three, right that that many folks actually can be helpful.

if you look at the data across the country, this is safe storage laws, red flag laws, universal background checks.

what we know about michigan voters in is in recent polling.

it shows that actually a majority of michigan voters approve of these three pieces of legislation that they're pushing.

>> senate bill number zero, four, eight, a bill to amend the elliott larsen, civil rights act.

>> elliott larsen dates back to nineteen.

seventy-seven protecting michiganders from discrimination, but not lgbt people not to last year with the state supreme court decided that it does, but there's no guarantee that ruling can't be overturned.

that's the it.

>> i also rise today is the first out queer woman to serve in the michigan legislature.

but i do just want to note that a few months ago i was prohibited from even making that statement in this chamber.

and i'm grateful that the landscape has shifted dramatically.

we're often accused of having a secret agenda.

the truth is the only agenda i have is to live my for my life free from discrimination and hate.

many religious individuals and organizations whole deeply held beliefs about sexuality and gender forcing them to act in a way that goes against their beliefs.

>> it's a violation of their religious freedom to all those who invoked the word of the lord to deny us these reits.

i remind you, the lord created us in his own image.

can you not see the lord and me?

>> can you not see the lord and you're gay sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews.

can you not see the lord adonis?

>> this legislation will show lgbtq people, particularly lgbtq people of color that they can fulfill their full aspirations.

your identity will limit who you are or what you can do.

you don't have to hide anymore.

you don't have to feel less than and that.

>> it's cause for celebration.

bipartisan support.

eight house republicans voted for the and the bill is passed.

i wonder if some of the talk on the floor by some of the representative change some minds.

>> i know how much of it changed binds versus what we know is there are probably some republican lawmakers even in previous sessions that would have voted for it.

but it never actually came to the house or the senate floor because republicans were in charge and to never put it up for a vote.

>> now the governor's lack the elliott larsen amendment into state law.

>> the third big one.

i'd like to talk about kind of started it in twenty twelve.

and that's right to work.

what happened there?

>> oh, my goodness.

let's let's go back to ten years ago this past december.

this is legislative republicans pushing forward right to work in incredible short amount of time.

rick snyder, then governor republican basically said it wasn't on his agenda.

this wasn't necessarily something he wanted to do.

he believed it was divisive but he ended up signing it into law and there were huge protests at the state capitol.

>> less commotion last wings down as the script was flipped as voting along party lines.

the so-called right to work law was designed not to give workers freed up but to weaken their bargaining power and increase the profits of the few many.

>> companies look solely to right to work states.

and this is one of those major factors in determining whether we're going to land a major economic opportunity for our state right to work.

>> it was never about freedom.

it was simply about control.

doctor martin luther king knew that truth all the way.

back in nineteen, sixty-one.

when he said in our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans such as right to work.

>> wednesday, i mean, that movie, everything everywhere, all at once, you know, winning all of the oscars.

i mean, it felt a little like that in lansing last wednesday.

it really was just the way that the votes happened so quickly, how lot of folks has spending and what democrats are saying is like, look, this is what we said we were going to do.

>> what is the future of work?

look like for generation x.